Preview / WEEK OF JAN. 6-12

Tech Set to Shine at Electronics Show

Palm Inc., Royal Philips Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. subsidiary Panasonic and other makers of cell phones, hand-held computers and electronic devices would have you believe the good times are rolling like never before.

They may have a point.

More than 2,000 such companies are trucking their newest wares to Las Vegas' International Consumer Electronics Show this week, promising to overwhelm the city's gargantuan convention hall.

"If you're a techie, this is gadget nirvana," said Tim Bajarin, president of technology consulting firm Creative Strategies.

As once-mighty technology shows such as Comdex and TechXNY falter, CES thrives.

The reason, perhaps, is that the now-ubiquitous personal computer was never central to the CES show. Now, PC technology is being integrated into slick gadgets that have stolen the limelight from the PC and the trade shows created to tout it.